The Miami Heat reportedly want to play out the entire 2022-23 season before making any decisions regarding the roster.
Miami is currently the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference, and the team has taken a considerable step back from last season’s success when it was the No. 1 seed in the East.
“The Heat is expected to make roster changes this summer, but discussions have not begun on the extent of those changes,” the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson wrote. “The Heat wants to see the entirety of the season before making any decisions.”
The Heat have made some tweaks to their rotation, such as moving Kyle Lowry to the bench in games since he has returned from a knee injury.
Miami also added forward Kevin Love in the buyout market to bolster the team’s frontcourt.
It’s unclear what Miami plans to do this offseason, but the team seems to be keen on taking every game into account. The Heat may end up in the play-in tournament in the Eastern Conference if they don’t catch the Brooklyn Nets or New York Knicks in the standings.
Lowry, who has underperformed expectations in Miami, is under contract for the 2023-24 season. He is a potential player that could be traded since he carries a large salary and will be on an expiring deal.
The Heat may also look to move on from Duncan Robinson, who has been in and out of the lineup despite signing a multiyear contract worth $90 million with the team just a few years ago.
Max Strus, Gabe Vincent and Love are all free agents following the 2022-23 season, so Miami also has to decide if those players are worth keeping on the roster.
There are a lot of decisions to be made, but the team may want to see how this roster matches up in the postseason before making any decisions.
Last season, Miami had a very similar group and still made the Eastern Conference Finals despite Tyler Herro and Lowry going down with injuries in the playoffs.
The Heat have a solid nucleus of Herro, Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, but changes may help the team build around those three stars’ strengths.
For now, the Heat seem to be focused on making the most of the 2022-23 campaign before rushing into decisions on next season’s roster.
